The Layout

I guess I'll start from the beginning, or at least somewhere near the middle. I was born in the late 80's to a pair of religiously unbiased and generally free thinking parents in the most conservative, hypocritical, and religiously associated state in the entire United States, Utah. A bold statement I know but don't mock it until you've been forced to live within it for nearly two decades.

Salt Lake City Skyline with the Mormon Temple or "Disneyland" as I affectionately referred to it as a child

My actions, thoughts, and experiences come from life in the heavily Mormon populated state and from the point of view of not only a non-Mormon, but also a non-religious person. The perspective is a first person commentary of someone living on the outskirts of the metropolitan area, where the percentage of non-Mormon individuals begins to plummet. In other words my voice, a young college student who was born and raised within this situation and is informed (or misinformed depending on who you talk to) about what is happening in; various state policies in the government and in the church and the effect that that is having on the general populace.


Different areas and topics covered in this blog would be based off of day to day experiences, coupled with past interactions, and current government and community policies as they relate to the Mormon Church. Whether it be the Church’s control over businesses and public schools, initiation of outrageous anti-drinking policies while a meth epidemic runs rampant, the purchase of entire city blocks to be turned into religious centers, and more light hearted topics like the mystery behind the secret Mormon underwear (not joking at all with that one).



Anyways, I was raised with no specific religious deity or mystical figure in mind, instead pushed to pursue education and freedom of choice to determine what I believed in. This may seem like a common enough state to be in, and it is in many families around the world. But unfortunately this is a rare thing to find in the greater community of both rural and urban Utah.


This blog that you are skimming down right now is not intended to undermine, offend, or dissuade anyone from any point of view, but hey, that doesn't mean it won't happen on a regular basis. I'm not trying to push any stereotypes or outside views on other people. The intention is far more simple. I only hope to give a small glimpse into what life is really like in a religiously dominated state where not only are you not a member of that religion but the majority of the population isn't either.